Derailed

"There is no such thing as getting back on track," she said. "You're on a new track now."

Such was the wisdom given by my friend and mentor Terri Howard eight years ago. I'd just gotten married and was adjusting to a new life. I felt out of sorts. Restless.

Terri was right (she always is). There is no such thing as getting "back on track" after a major life change, whether it be marriage or childbirth. And that is exactly where I find myself these days. Nothing is in order. Everyone in our home is restless as we try to find the new normal. And it's ok to be in this place. We will eventually sort out the details. We will adjust. And we will move forward as a family of six.

But it got me thinking about how much time we spend longing for what was. We seek the comfort of the familiar. We want things to be the way they were. And we miss out on what God has for us today, in the newness.

So where has your life gotten off track lately? What new thing must you embrace? And how will you be different/better because as a result?

My "newness" is a little boy named Colby Riggs who suffers from an ever present case of colick. I've never had a fussy baby before and I must trust God to give me the grace and patience to nurture him while simultaneously caring for the four other men in my home. But His grace is sufficient for me.